Opportunity to Support VITA Grant Appropriations

By MB -
From our friends at NCTC
Congress is currently deliberating over Fiscal Year 2013 appropriations – including Community VITA Matching Grant funding. One of our champions, Representative Xavier Becerra, has drafted a letter asking the Appropriations Committee to include $15 million to expand and strengthen the Community VITA program. Please call your U.S. Representative to ask them to sign on to this letter!

We're working under strict time constraints: signatures must be collected no later than 12:00 p.m. (noon Eastern) on Friday, March 16. Please take a moment to call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to your Representative.

This is an important step in ensuring that VITA programs have the support they need in order to assist millions of low- to moderate-income families across the nation. Act now! Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask your U.S. Representative to sign on to Rep. Becerra's letter in support of VITA FY13 funding.

Here is a sample script you may use when communicating with a Congressional staffer on the phone:

Hello, my name is (name) and I work for (organization's name) in (city, state) . I am calling about the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, which provides free tax preparation and financial services to (# of clients served by your organization) low- and moderate-income workers in (city) . These services are available largely due to the Community VITA Matching Grant, which is administered by the IRS. Please join your colleague, Rep. Becerra, in supporting this modest investment in hardworking families across the nation. Thank you.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Overlooked and Undercounted: Struggling to Make Ends Meet in Pennsylvania

By -
Image
Census data tells us that 13% of Pennsylvania households live in poverty. In reality, even more households don’t have the income they need to reach self-sufficiency. One in four Pennsylvania households – over 846,000 – lack enough income to cover just the necessities. Since 1997, PathWays PA has worked with Dr. Diana Pearce and the University of Washington to calculate  The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Pennsylvania . Over the last 23 years,  The Self-Sufficiency Standard of Pennsylvania  has documented the continuing increase in the real cost of living, illuminating the economic crunch experienced by so many families today. Since 2010, PathWays PA and the University of Washington have also issued three versions of the  Overlooked and Undercounted  report, which looks at the number of households living above and below self-sufficiency. You can now use the interactive materials below to find out what it takes to be self-sufficient in your county. Click here  to read the 2020 O
Read more

Mini-Budget Update-Supporting the American Community Survey

By MB -
Image
(via The Census Project ) Next Tuesday, June 19 is an important date to mark on your calendar. The Congressional Joint Economic Committee is holding a public hearing on the economic impact of eliminating the American Community Survey (ACS) at 2:30 p.m., in Room 210 of the Canon House Office Building. Witnesses that will be speaking in opposition to the move to eliminate the ACS are Vincent Barabba, former director of the Census Bureau in two GOP administrations and Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Association of General Contractors and also representing the National Association of Business Economists. It is very important that we pack the congressional hearing room! If you cannot come, please urge your colleages to come. If you represent a non-DC organization contact your friends in Washington and urge them to attend. Also on Tuesday of next week some of our congressional supporters will be holding a noon press conference in the so-called House Triangle right outside the Cap
Read more

Overlooked and Undercounted in the Media (#media)

By MB -
Image
Below are all of the places we've seen Overlooked and Undercounted in the month of May! If you know of anywhere else, please let us know! You can also listen to the audio from our May 11 Conference Call on our website . May 21, 2009 - New Report Says 1 in 5 PA Families Live in Poverty May 21, 2009 - LTE: Clarifying ‘Overlooked And Undercounted’ Study May 19, 2009 - Caught in a trap: State and federal governments must help working poor May 16, 2009 - Study: Local poverty estimates too conservative May 15, 2009 - Study: Pa. Families Above Poverty Level, But Still Struggling May 12, 2009 - Study: 1 in 5 PA Families Struggling to Make Ends Meet May 12, 2009 - Report: Many PA families struggling May 12, 2009 - PathWays PA Releases New Report on Self-Sufficiency Standard May 12, 2009 - Poverty worse in PA than reported: study May 11, 2009 - 1 in 5 PA Households Can't Make Ends Meet May 11, 2009 - Study: 1 in 5 PA residents can't make ends meet May 11, 2009 - 1 in
Read more